1:9 twist 6PPC for 300m+ question

[Steve eades]

Hello all, this is my first post in this forum and it comes in the firm of a question

I am looking to start shooting 500m fly this year and whilst I have been developing loads for my .284 win tikka my thoughts are moving toward buying a second hand stolle panda in 6ppc so that I can shoot short range BR here in Sydney monthly

My question relates to a second hand stolle panda for sale  in SA that has a 6PPC barrel in 9" twist, I can only assume the previous owner (deceased estate) fitted this twist to enable the use of heavier 90-105gr pills

So, how would this barrel running say a 105 gr Berger perform beyond 200m? Consistent enough to shoot 500m fly? Surely if F standard shooters shoot 80gr bullets at F class distances then the PPC should hold its own versus say a 6 X 47 or similar?

Thanks in advance for your replies and I hope to meet some of you at the range soon

Steve

[Les Fraser]

A very good question steve i think that Glen Seaman may shoot a PPC at 500m. To save money and be competitive in both is a difficult task however if you have a 90 lapua scenar out of your PPC with about 29.0 Grns you will have a nice tidy outfit to get you started. The PPC is a great cartridge and very accurate so give it a go. As for stacking up against the bigger 6mm's it is truely a personal choice as long as they are tight groupers they are all worth while.

PS work up to these loads and check for pressure !!!!!!!

talk soon I will see if Glen can add something here for you
cheers and good shooting Les

[Glenn Seaman]

My "fly" rifle WAS an 8 twist PPC before I bought it. When I bought it I got it re-chambered to 6BR and turn my rims down to PPC size to fit the bolt face. I swap to a 14 twist PPC barrel for short range BR.
I suspect that the PPC case doesn't have the capacity to push a heavy (100-108) pill fast enough to get into an accuracy node high enough up the velocity  range but it may have been a number of other reasons that that barrel wouldn't shoot as a PPC.
Cheers
Glenn

[steve eades]

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[Michael Bell]

Steve,
Both Berger and Ken Melgaard (copper head bullets) make great 95 grn 6mm vld projectiles that would stabilise in a 9 twist barrel.
I've tested these in a 300 meter match at Leeton last year through a "retired" 8 twist barrel, just to see what might happen. While a few shots went wide of the mark, probably because of a combination of old barrel and imperfect tune, I still managed to shoot over 280 points and hit the fly 10 times so I concluded that the 95 grn bullets were pretty good.
I've just referred to my notes made after the match and I decided that the 95's would definitely be a good choice for the fly ( certainly at 300 meters) and could benefit from a 9 twist barrel. I even considered getting a 9 twist specifically for the 95's but decided there was no real advantage to be gained as I was getting pretty good results from the Copper Head 103's through my existing 8 twist barrels chambered for the 6mm brx.
For what it's worth I reckon the tough little ppc case with the right powder could easily run the 95's up to 2980 fps with extreme accuracy. Be aware though that these 95's are fairly short in the bearing surface which, depending on how the chamber was cut,could mean seating the bullet into the lands might be an issue.
Hope I haven't confused you,
Regards,
Belly

[steve eades]

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[Geoff3019]

G'day All,
I crony'd a 6BR vs a 6ppc, both shooting 107SMK out of 1:8T barrels, the BR was about 30fps behind in MV (10 shot strings) I would consider a 6mm Grendel as an option to get the MV up to the 6BR. But then you can go a rebated rimmed 6Dasher too, a mini me 284!
I've also played with a 22BR on a ppc bolt face with the rims turned down to fit. Shoots brilliantly with 80gn Berger VLD's
hope this helps
cheerio Ned

[Pete van Meurs]

Hi all,

I was intrigued by the same question a few years back. On the face of it the little PPC case with it's high pressure potential should rival the 6BR.  Tried my damnedest but failed to find a competitive load (as did another experimenter acquaintance). Don't buck the odds, stay with the 6BR or it's derivatives and simply turn the rims to PPC size as so many others have done!

Pete

[steve eades]

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[Les Fraser]

Hi Steve I was hoping someone would have replied to your request for assistance I guess one of the guys who I think does it is Glenn Seaman so if he could give you some tips that would be great. If you want I can measure the diameter of both and give you the readings would that help.
cheers Les

[Geoff3019]

G'day Steve,
sorry I didn't machine mine, gave them to a friend with a lathe, however, as I recall, he did use my Wilson trimmer shell holder, but he did say he ground a cutter to turn and cut the rim and extractor groove in one pass.
A fired case rim = 0.438" diameter, the groove = 0.373" diameter (a standard case measures 0.403"), rim thickness is 0.050", extraction from a BatDS is fine (approx. 200+ shots with 50 cases) and these same cases will extract from another BatDS with the same barrel but with a 308 bolt face FWIW.
Hope this helps
Cheerio Geoff

[steve eades]

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[steve eades]

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[Glenn Seaman]

I consider myself very much a novice so for what its worth;  
     In a three jaw chuck opened just slightly more than the diameter of the case at the shoulder, I pushed the case gently in till it stopped against "something" in the chuck, and then very gently firmed the jaws up. the depth was very consistent so I didn't waste time asking why 
     
    Using a piece  of 3/8 tool steel, I ground/sharpened the shape I needed to make the groove deeper and the rim smaller. I can't remember the figures but a set of callipers will soon tell you (or I can if you need it).
    With the tool on the tool post and lined up and a bit of trial and error, it was just a matter of winding it in to the same point for each case.
  Hopefully that makes a bit of sense. I'd like to hear any other ideas and improvements as well.

Glenn.
 

[Pete van Meurs]

Hi Steve,

When I re-read my earlier reply I realised I had forgotten to comment on the use of a Wilson trimmer case holder for rim turning.  This is indeed the best method. Give the case  a tap with a nylon hammer or similar to lodge it firmly in the holder (use an aluminium rod to knock it out when done). You can simply eyeball the alignment of the cutter (ground as per Glenn's suggestion) or you can place a live centre in the tailstock to push the assembly into the chuck jaws before final tightening to get the rim in the same location every time.

Pete